oversupply

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noun

over·​sup·​ply ˈō-vər-sə-ˌplī 

plural oversupplies

: an excessive supply : an amount of something (such as a good) that is more than is needed or wanted

… if there is an oversupply of herring on a given day, the shrewd fishmonger will lower his price …

—Robert Kuttner

Although this means better and cheaper jug wines for consumers, the 122,000 acres of wine grapes coming into production over the next three years could well lead to oversupplies.

—Daniel Sogg

an oversupply of applicants for the available jobs

Information is in oversupply, and the audience wants someone who can help make sense of it.

—Joanne Ostrow

oversupply

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verb

over·​sup·​ply ˌō-vər-sə-ˈplī 

oversupplied; oversupplying

transitive verb

: to supply (something, such as a commodity) in excess

The OPEC nations have been oversupplying crude oil for more than two years, seemingly in an attempt to drive their main competitors—US shale oil and gas producers—out of business.

—Jackson Stiles

: to provide (someone or something) with more than is needed or wanted

manufacturers oversupplying the market

oversupplied adjective

… the inevitable result of spilling a million workers into an already oversupplied low-wage labor market …

—Jeff Faux

Synonyms

Noun

• bellyful
• excess
• fat
• overabundance
• overage
• overflow
• overkill
• overmuch
• overplus
• plethora
• plus
• redundancy
• superabundance
• superfluity
• surfeit
• surplus
• surplusage

Examples of oversupply in a Sentence

Noun

an oversupply of new homes is helping to drive down housing prices

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Globally, demand in the sector remains subdued due to oversupplies in the European market as well as high inventory levels in China. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

An oversupply of prescription opioid pain medication followed in the mid-1990s, exposing millions of Americans to the drugs. —Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2024

Verb

Governments must also address the incentives pharmaceutical companies have for profiting from oversupplying and overpromoting opioids. —Keith Humphreys, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018

More recently, the U.S. and other countries in Asia and Europe have accused China of oversupplying certain sectors of the market with cheap goods meant to undercut international competitors. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1833, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1865, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing oversupply

• in oversupply

Kids Definition

oversupply

noun

over·​sup·​ply

-sə-ˈplī

: a supply that is too large : surplus